Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/998819
BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 27 Silver Anniversary Believe it or not, a quarter century will have passed this year since Notre Dame last defeated a No. 1-ranked team in football — 31-24 versus Florida State on Nov. 13, 1993. That promises to be com- memorated when the two teams meet almost 25 years to the day on Nov. 10, 2018. For many longtime Fighting Irish faithful, that triumph against the Seminoles is a demarcation of the most recent epic moment in foot- ball. The following week, the 10-0 and No. 1-ranked Notre Dame unit was stunned at home by Boston College, and since then "it's never quite been the same." That includes only two top-10 finishes in the Associated Press the last 24 years — No. 9 in 2005 and No. 4 in 2012 — and no major or Big Six bowl victory in that time. In the 23 years from Jan. 1, 1971 through 1993, the Irish knocked off the top-ranked team in either the AP or UPI polls eight times. Coincidentally, there have been only three No. 1 versus No. 2 matchups at Notre Dame Stadium — and each occurred exactly 25 years apart: No. 1 Notre Dame defeating No. 2 Iowa Pre-Flight in 1943 (14-13), No. 1 Purdue toppling the No. 2 Irish in 1968 (37-22) and the aforementioned FSU game in 1993. If only such a pattern could be kept alive for this year's Silver An- niversary reunion with the Seminoles — or help begin anew a more prosperous era the next 25 years. The Veteran Newcomer One of the most thankless tasks in the world of sports is to follow a coaching icon. This can go for assistants as well. When 1988-96 Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Moore was unceremoniously let go by new head coach Bob Davie, it created a firestorm for Moore's successor, Jim Colletto, the former head coach at Purdue from 1991-96. Colletto mentored a quality line in 1998 that led a 9-1 start and spearheaded a ground attack that averaged 212.6 yards per game … but he was always going to be in the shadow of Moore. Colletto left after two seasons and went on to win a Super Bowl as an assistant with the Baltimore Ravens. Jeff Quinn has a Colletto-like role as the new Notre Dame offensive line coach in 2018. He succeeds Harry Hiestand, who produced the most draft picks in the first three rounds in his six seasons from 2012-17, including four in the first round. Fur- thermore, his 2017 crew won the — what else? — Joe Moore Award as the nation's top offensive line. Quinn had served as an offensive analyst for head coach Brian Kelly since 2015, but more importantly the two worked side by side for 21 years from 1989-2009, prior to Kelly becoming the head coach at Notre Dame and Quinn the same with the Buffalo Bulls. During an exceptional nine-year stretch from 2001-09, Quinn was the offensive line coach and a coordinator for Kelly when their teams were 94-24 (.797 winning percentage). Some believe the hiring of Quinn could be as detrimental to Kelly as when he hired former colleague Brian VanGorder to coordinate the defense in 2014. Others believe their chemistry will enhance the continuity developed under Hiestand. Stay tuned for the results to be determined. Jeff Quinn served as the offensive line coach and a coordinator for Brian Kelly during a nine-year stretch — at Grand Valley State (2001-03), Central Michigan (2004-06) and Cincinnati (2007-09) — that produced a .797 winning percentage (94-24 record). PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA Almost 25 years to the day of Notre Dame last defeat- ing a No. 1-ranked team in football — a 31-24 victory versus eventual Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward and Florida State — the Irish will host the Seminoles again this November. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH DIGITAL MEDIA